The major purpose of this study was to investigate the
impact of television on voters during a presidential campaign. Of
particular interest were the effects of television news and televised
political advertising on people's political images and
information. The interviews centered on respondents' use of television
and their views on candidates and issues. Respondents were also asked
about orientations such as party loyalty, which, while unlikely to be
influenced directly by television, might mediate communication
effects. The study w... (more info)

The major purpose of this study was to investigate the
impact of television on voters during a presidential campaign. Of
particular interest were the effects of television news and televised
political advertising on people's political images and
information. The interviews centered on respondents' use of television
and their views on candidates and issues. Respondents were also asked
about orientations such as party loyalty, which, while unlikely to be
influenced directly by television, might mediate communication
effects. The study was designed as a panel, with three pre-election
personal interviews and one post-election telephone interview
conducted with a random sample of adults living in the Syracuse, New
York, metropolitan area. In the first survey in early September, 731
respondents were interviewed, and 650 of these were reinterviewed in
early October, and again in early November, just before election
day. Finally, 676 of the original 731 respondents were contacted for
the brief post-election telephone interview. The data are organized in
one file containing all four surveys in a single record for each
respondent.

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